As my old buddy Rob Ferguson from the Toronto Star always says: “I don’t report on planes that land.” In other words, if a reporter is calling you to comment on a story, chances are that something, somewhere has probably gone wrong, and you’re about to have a bad day. 

When the media calls, remember your role is to be a leader or spokesperson for your organization. Most big organizations – hospitals, universities, governments or tech companies – seem like impenetrable, bureaucratic monoliths to the average person. You have to do more than just deliver information. If you’re talking, it’s because you are leading, reassuring, and humanizing your organization. 

Empathy, Action, Outcome

And to sound like a human, follow these three steps: 

Empathy: If the issue you’re responding to is bad, then say so. If you don’t acknowledge the way that people are feeling, people will (rightly) assume that you don’t care. In crises, I’ve often said something like “what happened today is tragic, and while I cannot imagine what people are going through, my heart goes out to them.” I say it that way because it’s true: I empathize, but I don’t truly know what it’s like to be in the other person’s shoes. 

A common misstep in responding to a crisis is to jump straight to action. It’s understandable because your job is to fix the problem. But your job is also to treat customers, clients or the public like humans and acknowledge how the crisis is affecting them.

That said, don’t overdo empathy. You should never centre the story on your own feelings. A line like “we’ve heard from many customers today who are frustrated” is better than “I share their frustration,” because you don’t actually share their frustration. In fact, you are probably in a position to help their frustration – so focus on that. And never, ever, offer “thoughts and prayers.” 

That leads to the next step, which is:

Action: Tell the audience what you are going to do to solve their problem. Lay out what you’re doing to help people. Be specific, be transparent, and be accountable. Use personal pronouns like “we” and active voice. “We have sent mechanics to find out why the train has stopped, and we’re working to restore service as quickly as possible,” is way more effective than, “the problem is being investigated.”

Give people a timeline, if possible. “We expect to have the issue fixed within the next two hours,” gives people a sense of when things will go back to normal. And if you don’t have a definitive timeline, be honest about that too. “We’re working to figure out the cause, and we’ll give you regular updates as we learn more.” Transparency builds trust, even in bad situations.

Remember, your audience isn’t just looking for answers; they’re looking for reassurance. They want to know you’re taking the situation seriously and that you’re working to fix it. Which brings us to: 

Outcome: When everything is fixed, what will it look like? When the situation is resolved, what do you hope happens next? What does the world feel like after the storm has passed? What can you do to prevent this from happening again? This is where you give people hope and a sense of closure.

Sometimes, the outcome is simple: “When we restore rail service, people will be on their way home again.” Sometimes you can add a long-term goal: “we’ll work to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” And sometimes, you can add a value statement: “we want to make sure that everyone has a great experience, every time they use our service.” Whatever your outcome is, make it hopeful and clear. 

It’s Like Talking to Your Mom

One last thing: if you want to humanize your organization, talk like a human. Even if you empathize, act and offer an outcome, you will still fail if the words you choose are filled with corporate jargon, buzzwords, acronyms, or just plain nonsense. Don’t be so risk-avoidant that you actually end up saying nothing. Usually, the bigger the company, the bigger the legal department, the more robotic they sound.  

If you’re a spokesperson, talk to the media like you’re talking to your mom–because you are. You’re speaking through the reporter to regular people, so always keep it as simple as possible and use words that regular people use.

And if you need help with that, you know where to find us.